Banyule Flats and Warringal Swamplands are lowland riverine
flood plains that are among the most threatened landscapes in
Victoria. Banyule Swamp is the most intact and biologically
significant shallow freshwater marsh in the Lower Yarra. Both are
key wetland areas in maintaining the viability of populations of
water birds and wetland ecosystems in the Lower Yarra. They contain
a number of rare, vulnerable and threatened fauna, 23 species of
water birds, 125 species of native birds, 11 species of native
mammals and four bat species (NEROC Report 1997).

The Victorian government is planning to build the North East
link freeway right through the middle of Banyule Flats and
Warringal Swamplands and continues to refuse to consider public
transport solutions for Banyule, a municipality which is
chronically under-serviced by sustainable transport.

This freeway, the so called North East Link, will not ease
congestion but will destroy one of the most precious environmental
and historical assets in the City of Banyule: the birthplace of the
iconic Heidelberg School of painting, the first internationally
recognised Australian art movement. If you want to read more about
The Arts in Banyule click here.

Ross Spirou (..the hidden wonders of Banyule Flats...2
November 2010) emphasises the importance of parkland like the
Banyule Flats for peace of mind, passive recreation walking and
cycling, and habitat for many species. The north east freeway link
not only threatens these values but also accentuates the trend to
increasing illness and death from traffic pollution, for which
there is ample Australian and overseas evidence. More people in
Melbourne get sick or die from this pollution than from accidents.
The illnesses include heart disease, lung cancer, asthma,
respiratory infections and effects on the foetus. Building more
urban freeways increases pollution by encouraging more car use
at the expense of public transport and more truck use at the
expense of rail freight. So health is another major reason for not
wasting our limited resources on a North East freeway.

"Building more urban freeways induces more car and truck
traffic, both in numbers and in distance travelled. The pollution
from this traffic is wrecking the planet with greenhouse gases and
killing over 3000 Australians per year through increased disease
and trauma. If you want a shift to more walking, cycling and public
transport, a healthier population and a safe climate, spending
billions on the urban North East Link freeway is
perverse."